Electrophotographic apparatus

ABSTRACT

An electrophotographic copying apparatus, especially suitable for use in offices, having an improved optical system for reducing the space between an original illuminating station and an exposure station while maintaining a required light path length, and having an original carriage disposed for horizontal sliding movement on top of the apparatus. The various copy paper processing devices of the apparatus are disposed about the optical system in a compact manner, wherein the processing devices include a device for electrically charging lengths of copy paper; a device exposing the charged paper; a device for developing the exposed paper; a device for fixing and drying the developed copies; and a device for cooling the apparatus. The optical system includes various conventional mirrors and an inmirror lens arranged to provide a folded light path. Disclosed also is structure for loading, feeding, and cutting copy paper supplied within the apparatus in roll form.

. iiite States Patent 1 Komori et al.

[ June 19, 1973 Assignee:

Filed:

ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Inventors: Shigehi ro Komori, Yokohama;

Jiro Sato, Kawasaki; I-Iiroyuki Hattori, Tokyo, all of J apan Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo,

Japan Feb. 2, 1970 Feb. 18, 1970 Japan ..45/l3934 Mar. 7, 1970 Jan. 29, 1971 Appl. No.2 111,058

Foreign Application Priority Data Japan 45/9197 Japan 45 194152 US. Cl. 355/3, 355/8, 355/10,

Int. Cl. G03g 15/00 Field of Search 355/3, 8, 10, 11,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Ogawa et al. 355/8 Van Auken et al. 355/8 Leedom 355/3 X Marek et a1. 355/3 Suzuki et a]. 355/13 Hastings et al. 355/13 X 3,494,328 2/1970 Maloney 118/637 3,424,526 l/l969 Sacre 355/10 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,813,738 10/1969 Germany 355/8 1,903,461 8/1969 Germany 355/8 Primary Examiner-Robert P. Greiner Attorney-Ward, McElhannon, Brooks & Fitzpatrick [57] ABSTRACT An electrophotographic copying apparatus, especially suitable for use in offices, having an improved optical system for reducing the space between an original illuminating station and an exposure station while maintaining a required light path length, and having an original carriage disposed for horizontal sliding movement on top of the apparatus. The various copy paper processing devices of the apparatus are disposed about the optical system in a compact manner, wherein the processing devices include a device for electrically charging lengths of copy paper; a device exposing the charged paper; a device for developing the exposed paper; a device for fixing and drying the developed copies; and a device for cooling the apparatus. The optical system includes various conventional mirrors and an in-mirror lens arranged to provide a folded light path. Disclosed also is structure for loading, feeding, and cutting copy paper supplied within the apparatus in roll form.

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1. An electrophotographic copying apparatus comprising a housing, an original carriage slidably connected to an upper portion of said housing for horizontal reciprocal movement in the direction of a longitudinal dimension of said housing, means for reciprocally moving said carriage in said longitudinal direction, means for illuminating an original disposed on said carriage, said illuminating means being fixedly mounted to said housing at a position below said carriage and centrally disposed with respect to said longitudinal housing dimension, electrical charging means and exposure means mounted in said housing, means for conducting a sheet of copy paper obliquely downward through said charging means and said exposure means, fixing-drying means disposed in a lower portion of said housing at a position spaced in said longitudinal direction from said charging means and exposure means, developing means mounted in a lower portion of said housing and disposed longitudinally between said exposure means and said fixing-drying means, optical means including a plurality of mirrors and in-mirror lens means for optically projecting an image of said illuminated original on said carriage along a folded light path to said sheet of copy paper conducted through said exposure means, means mounting said mirrors and lens longitudinally centrally of said housing above said developing means and below said carriage, and cooling means disposed above said fixing-drying means and on a longitudinally opposed side of said optical means from said charging means, wherein said cooling means is for directing air surrounding said illuminating means toward said fixing-drying means, and further comprising a first pair of parallel rails mounted on said housing, a second pair of parallel rails mounted on said original carriage, wherein the rails of said first pair are aligned for cooperation respectively with the rails of said second pair, and wherein each of said rails of said first pair has two surfaces opposed and parallel to two surfaces of the said rail of the second pair cooperatively aligned therewith, means including one of said rail surfaces of each said rail defining a pair of cavities extending longitudinally of said rails, first and second retainer means disposed respectively within said cavities, first and second pluralities of rollers mounted on said respective first and second retainer means for engaging said rails defining said cavities, and third and fourth pluralities of rollers mounted on said housing and engageable with respective upper surfaces of said pair of rails mounted on said original carriage.
 2. An electrophotographic copying apparatus comprising a housing, an original carriage slidably connected to an upper portion of said housing for horizontal reciprocal movement in the direction of a longitudinal dimension of said housing, means for reciprocally moving said carriage in said longitudinal direction, means for illuminating an original disposed on said carriage, said illuminating means being fixedly mounted to said housing at a position below said carriage and centrally disposed with respect to said longitudinal housing dimension, electrical charging means and exposure means mounted in said housing, means for conducting a sheet of copy paper obliquely downward through said charging means and said exposure means, fixing-drying means disposed in a lower portion of said housing at a position spaced in said longitudinal direction from said charging means and exposure means, developing means mounted in a lower portion of said housing and disposed longitudinally beTween said exposure means and said fixing-drying means, optical means including a plurality of mirrors and in-mirror lens means for optically projecting an image of said illuminated original on said carriage along a folded light path to said sheet of copy paper conducted through said exposure means, means mounting said mirrors and lens longitudinally centrally of said housing above said developing means and below said carriage, and cooling means disposed above said fixing-drying means and on a longitudinally opposed side of said optical means from said charging means, wherein said cooling means is for directing air surrounding said illuminating means toward said fixing-drying means, and wherein said illuminating means includes a shield having a slit therein through which light is directed to said original, said slit having a longitudinal dimension of Delta a, and further comprising means for loading and feeding a roll of copying medium for being cut to provide sheets of said copy paper, first actuator means mounted on said original carriage for selecting a length L to which said roll of copying medium is to be cut to provide said copy paper sheets, means for cutting said copying medium, means interconnecting said selecting means and said cutting means for operating said cutting means under the control of said selecting means, and control means connected to said reciprocal moving means to control forward and backward strokes of said original carriage, wherein said forward stroke has a minimum length equal to 2l, where l is a distance between a start position of a leading edge of said copying medium and said exposure means, and wherein when said Length L is greater than the difference between 2l and Delta a, said original carriage moves forward a distance equal to L and then moves backward a distance L-l, whereupon the copying medium is cut and said original carriage continues its backward movement.
 3. An electrophotographic copying apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which said original carriage has an original reference line thereon, and in which said control means includes second actuator means positioned to define said distance 2l, third actuator means connected to said first actuator means for movement therewith to control backward movement of said original carriage, and switch means mounted on said housing for operation by said second and third actuator means and connected to said reciprocal moving means, wherein said third actuator means is positioned at a distance L-l from a predetermined reference line on said original carriage.
 4. An electrophotographic copying apparatus comprising a housing, an original carriage slidably connected to an upper portion of said housing for horizontal reciprocal movement in the direction of a longitudinal dimension of said housing, means for reciprocally moving said carriage in said longitudinal direction, means for illuminating an original disposed on said carriage, said illuminating means being fixedly mounted to said housing at a position below said carriage and centrally disposed with respect to said longitudinal housing dimension, electrical charging means and exposure means mounted in said housing, means for conducting a sheet of copy paper obliquely downward through said charging means and said exposure means, fixing-drying means disposed in a lower portion of said housing at a position spaced in said longitudinal direction from said charging means and exposure means, developing means mounted in a lower portion of said housing and disposed longitudinally between said exposure means and said fixing-drying means, optical means including a plurality of mirrors and in-mirror lens means for optically projecting an image of said illuminated original on said carriage along a folded light path to said sheet of copy paper conducted through said exposure means, means mounting said mirrors and lens longitudinally centrally of said housing above said developIng means and below said which is centrally disposed of an equilateral triangle including the sides forming said first angle.
 5. An electrophotographic copying apparatus comprising a housing, an original carriage slidably connected to an upper portion of said housing for horizontal reciprocal movement in the direction of a longitudinal dimension of said housing, means for reciprocally moving said carriage in said longitudinal direction, means for illuminating an original disposed on said carriage, said illuminating means being fixedly mounted to said housing at a position below said carriage and centrally disposed with respect to said longitudinal housing dimension, electrical charging means and exposure means mounted in said housing, means for conducting a sheet of copy paper obliquely downward through said charging means and said exposure means, fixing-drying means disposed in a lower portion of said housing at a position spaced in said longitudinal direction from said charging means and exposure means, developing means mounted in a lower portion of said housing and disposed longitudinally between said exposure means and said fixing-drying means, optical means including a plurality of mirrors and in-mirror lens means for optically projecting an image of said illuminated original on said carriage along a folded light path to said sheet of copy paper conducted through said exposure means, means mounting said mirrors and lens longitudinally centrally of said housing above said developing means and below said carriage, and cooling means disposed above said fixing-drying means and on a longitudinally opposed side of said optical means from said charging means, wherein said cooling means is for directing air surrounding said illuminating means toward said fixing-drying means, and wherein the exposure plane of said exposure means is disposed at a first angle of about 60* with respect to the surface of the original, said in-mirror lens means of said optical system has its optic axis disposed substantially on the midline of said angle, and said plurality of mirrors of said optical system consists of two reflecting mirrors disposed on the opposite sides of said optic axis in planes forming respective angles of about 60* with respect to said optic axis, so that said optic axis intersects the planes of said two reflecting mirrors at a point which is centrally disposed of an equilateral triangle including the sides forming said first angle.
 6. An electrophotographic copying apparatus as defined in claim 5, further comprising means for loading and feeding a roll of copying medium for being cut to provide sheets of said copy paper, said loading and feeding means including a roll supporting shaft having one end thereof hinge-connected to said housing, a roll holding spool mounted on said shaft and consisting of two sections separably connected together longitudinally thereof, and a friction member provided within one of said two spool sections for releasably restricting axial movement of said one spool section and blocking rotation thereof while said two spool sections are being connected, whereby said separable spool sections securely hold said roll of copying medium and provide convenient structure for mounting and replacing said roll.
 7. An electrophotographic copying apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said illuminating means includes a lamp and reflector means, and wherein said reflector means is formed with through-apertures for controlling the amount of reflected light to thereby provide a uniform intensity of light across the original in the direction normal to the directions of reciprocal movement of the original.
 8. An electrophotographic copying apparatus as set forth in claim 5, further comprising means for loading and feeding a roll of copying medium for being cut to provide sheets of said copy paper, said loading and feeding means including a cassette removably mounted on said housing, wherein said roll of copying medium is receiVed within said cassette, a copy medium drive roller mounted on said housing, and a driven roller mounted on said cassette for being driven by said drive roller, wherein said copy medium is nipped between said drive and driven rollers for advancement to said charging means.
 9. An electrophotographic copying apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which said developing means includes a container of developing liquid, a density detection chamber disposed within said container, a transparent container wall defining a lower portion of said detection chamber and detector means including a light source and a light sensing element disposed in a spaced relation with said transparent container wall disposed therebetween.
 10. An electrophotographic copying apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which said fixing means is removably mounted within said housing and includes a driven squeeze roller, and further comprising a drive squeeze roller mounted on said housing for cooperation with said driven roller to squeeze said copy paper therebetween. 